The story of 2-year-old Crue being denied a wheelchair by his insurance company was picked up by news outlets throughout the United States and as far away as the United Kingdom. It shows the struggles that people with disabilities have obtaining the equipment necessary to live full lives, still, 25 years post-ADA. Following is an interview young Crue’s mother, Aubrey Allred, gave to New Mobility’s news reporter, Mark Boatman.

Mark Boatman: What is your reaction to the latest decision by Anthem Blue Cross to approve a new wheelchair for Crue?

Aubrey Allred: We’re grateful they’ve approved the chair, but they’ve only approved half of the chair. We are still in the process of getting the other half of it approved. They have approved the frame and the seat, but we’re still struggling to have them cover the wheels.

MB: Anthem claims the wheelchair was denied because your doctor missed a deadline. Is that true?

AA: That’s what they say, but they gave us 45 days to get the papers in and we had the papers in way before the deadline. That was their first denial.

[Crue’s request for a new wheelchair had been submitted twice, once in October and once in December.]

MB: Did Anthem say Crue had to wait until he was 5 to become eligible for a new wheelchair?

AA: I didn’t hear that directly from Anthem but I was told through our provider that Anthem had said that they would only cover a wheelchair every five years and that when he’s 5 years old and ready for school to try again.

MB: Do you find Anthem’s logic to be discriminatory?

AA: Yes, it’s heartbreaking. Just because Crue has a disability doesn’t mean he doesn’t have the right to learn how to be independent at a young age. We know other families with young children who have spina bifida and see their children get chairs when they’re between 1 year old and 18 months, so we didn’t understand why we were being denied when our child is 2 and a half.

MB: What’s it like as a parent to see your son struggle in the chair he has now?

AA: He does really well in his chair that he has now. But it’s low to the ground, it gets stuck and it’s hard to see your child have the restrictions that he doesn’t necessarily need to have. If he had a chair that was more suited for his needs, then he would be much more independent. It’s heartbreaking to see him not get that.

MB: What does it mean to you that your son soon will be as independent as possible?

AA: It means everything. To be able to see him learn how to be independent and get around on his own is just going to be amazing — to see him learn and grow and mentally develop that on his own.

MB: Were you surprised at the response from the public?

AA: It was overwhelming in a good way. It was amazing to see that there are so many people out there that are willing to help and reach out to you and try to help in anyway they can. It was just amazing.

MB: What will happen to the money that’s been donated through the GoFundMe page?

AA: It will go to providing for his medical needs for the rest of his life. This is a life-long thing for him. We’re going to use the money to provide everything that he needs in order for him to have an independent and successful life. Having so many people help us has really opened our eyes. We are really going to pay it forward as much as we can just because of how grateful we were to receive all the love, support and kind words.

MB: What is the timeline for getting Crue in his new wheelchair?

AA: Whether or not the insurance covers the whole chair, he’s going to get one. His chair is actually in the process of being built right now even though we’re still kind of in limbo with the insurance.

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